The Spies We Love
by cyncay
Summary: Modern day Musketeer story where they are an elite group of spies
1. The Contact

Athos and Porthos stood in the doorway looking at all the other people already inside. Aramis and D'Artagnan were among them, having gone into the dance earlier. Porthos touched his ear, adjusting his earwig.

"These things always feel funny." he grumbled.

"You say that every time," Aramis laughed softly, "Constance, how are the images?"

Back at headquarters, Constance looked at the the four monitors, one for each of the men. "Everything looks good here. Do the contacts feel okay?"

She had outfitted each of them with contacts that were actually tiny video transmitters. Word was that there were a number of suspected criminals and backers there tonight. They were hoping to get faces and voices for their files in addition to their main mission.

"They're fine." D'Artagnan reassured her. "Are we sure the person will even be here? Do we have any clue who it is?"

"Not one. The information we received is that they have a thumb drive with information for us. They will make contact with one of us and hand it over."

Porthos gave his opinion of the whole thing, "Sounds like a trap."

"Well, of course. So, keep a sharp eye." Athos told them.

The men wandered the bar, patio and dance floor, making polite conversation and dancing with beautiful women. After several hours, they met in a secluded area.

"I think we've been played," growled Porthos. "Nobody here has any interest in giving us a damn thing."

Aramis chuckled, "Speak for yourself, my friend. I've been given over a dozen phone numbers."

The others just shook their heads.

"Let's head out. If the person was serious, they'll contact us again. Make your way around the rooms to be sure, then head back to HQ for a quick debrief." Athos told them.

Constance's voice sounded cheerily in their ears, "Not a total loss. We did get faces and voices on dozens of suspected and known criminals. That'll make some jobs easier in the future. Oh, and can you bring me some of those yummy looking crab puffs?"

The men separated, each making one more circuit of the rooms. One of the servers approached Athos. Her nametag identified her as Diana and she was an attractive brunette with blue eyes. "Another martini, sir?"

Athos looked at her, realizing she had been the one serving him all evening. "No, thank you. But perhaps you could help me with something else. I'd like to get some of those crab puffs to take to a friend of mine."

"Well, we're not supposed to, but if we're quick, I think we can get you some."

She led him to a door marked EMPLOYEES ONLY and down a short hall.

While they walked down the hall, Athos asked, "Am I mistaken or have you deliberately been making sure to be my server this evening?"

"I have. I wanted to speak to you for just a minute privately, but never got the chance." Diana confessed.

They entered a small kitchen/breakroom. There was a warming unit on the counter which she opened and pulled out a tray of crab puffs.

As she put a number of puffs in into a foil container, she told Athos, "My father was not one of the good guys, but he made sure I stayed away from that part of his life. He passed away about a month ago, from natural causes."

"I'm sorry for your loss."

Diana handed the container to Athos. "I have to get back before I get in trouble. I hope this will be enough."

Athos took the container and watched in confusion as Diana quickly left the room. A second later, he heard something on the lid of the container and looked down to see a thumb drive.

"Constance, tell me you were still running audio and video."

"Of course, Captain."

"Good. I want a phone number for that woman."

"You think she might have more information?" Porthos asked. "Or be involved somehow?"

Aramis sighed in all their ears. "Porthos, one day we really do need to talk. No, she's on our side. He wants to ask her out."


	2. Athos

Athos watched from across the street as Duke Lorraine left his house. He waited a few extra minutes to make sure the man didn't return for some forgotten item, then crossed to the front door. Making sure his hands were hidden from sight, he quickly picked the locks and let himself in.

Inside, he located the home office and did a thorough check of all the paper files while downloading the computer files to a thumb drive. He took photos of a few pages that seemed important and put a cloning program on the computer so all future work would be duplicated to Constance.

Once all that was done, Athos did an intense search of the room for a hidden safe. He found it almost too easily, hidden in the bookshelves. A few clicks later, it was open, but all it contained were a few jewels and some money. No incriminating papers.

Back at his apartment, Athos reviewed the papers he'd photographed. There was good information, just not what he needed. Several hours later, after scanning through the computer files, he came to the same conclusion about them. He also had new respect for the techs that normally did this work. The drive he had gotten from Diana several months ago had revealed that at least one person in the organization was a mole. Unfortunately, it had not given any names of the mole or moles, so although Athos and his team were 100% sure about each other, they had decided to keep further investigation completely separate at the moment. He wasn't even in contact with them except once a month unless it was an emergency.

After a short break to stretch and get a sandwich and drink, he sat back down to go through all of Lorraine's e-mails. By the end of those, Athos knew more about Duke Lorraine's family than he wanted to, but still nothing about the mole. Which meant he would have to talk to the man himself. He recalled seeing an e-vite and went back to find it.

Two evenings later, Athos was in an art gallery, holding a flute of champagne and staring at hideous sculptures that were being passed off as art. He kept Duke Lorraine in his sight as he moved around.

He was in front of a rather ugly piece when a brunette woman came to stand next to him.

"Nice to see you again, Athos." she said, not looking at him.

"Diana." he acknowledged, recognizing her voice.

"Since this doesn't strike me as your taste in art, I take it you're working," she continued.

He tilted his head slightly in Lorrain'e direction. "The thumb drive you gave us indicated he has more information we can use. What brings you here?"

Lorraine moved to a new piece, so Athos and Diana also moved and found themselves in front of a giant paper mache foot.

"You know, this style looks familiar, but I don't know that I've heard of M. Gumby before." Diana evaded his question.

"Diana", Athos' voice lowered. "Why are you here?"

"I saw that Duke Lorraine was going to be here tonight and I recalled seeing his name on the thumb drive." she admitted. "I thought you might be here."

Now he turned to look at her."You're here to see me?"

"To help you." she corrected.

"Unless you want to see me?" she added with a smile.

He sighed. "First I need to figure a way to get him alone or better, get him outside."

"That's no problem." Diana told him confidently. "You wait outside and give me five minutes."

At the look Athos gave her, she laughed softly, "Trust me."

Athos left the gallery and stood just outside the entrance, waiting nervously.

Several minutes later, Diana came out with Duke Lorraine. He had his arm draped over her shoulder and was talking about going to his place. Athos stepped up next to him.

"I'm afraid that will have to wait quite some time," he told the surprised man. "I have some questions for you, then the government will want to talk to you further."

The three of them started to cross the street to Athos' car. Athos was on Lorraine's left side and paused just a second as a noise caught his attention. The next second, Lorraine fell to the ground and a red spot was blooming on his chest.

Athos and Diana both knelt over the man, pulling his shirt open and looking at the wound.

Diana pulled out her phone and called 999. Athos did what he could to stop the bleeding but from what he could tell, the injury was critical. Lorraine was trying to speak. Athos leaned closer to hear him.

"Talk to Gaston." Lorraine managed to say.

Diana came back to say police and ambulance were on the way. Athos told her it didn't matter about the ambulance. Diana looked closer at the entrance wound and did some quick calculations in her head. "Athos, this was meant for you. If you hadn't paused, you would be the one laying there."

Athos pulled out his phone and hit a speed dial number. When the person on the other end answered, he said," We have an emergency. Meeting tomorrow."


	3. Aramis

Aramis entered the parlor of the ordinary looking townhouse and waited for the hostess. The code of the day was "pepperpots" and she had someone take him to a bedroom suite on the 2nd floor. While he waited, he thought back over the previous week.

Hard to believe that barely a week ago, Athos had barely missed being killed. Unfortunately, the man he was bringing in to answer some questions had been killed, but not before telling Athos to "Talk to Gaston".

Luckily, there had only been one Gaston listed repeatedly in Duke Lorraine's files. Aramis was certain the others had somehow cheated when they drew straws for this part of the investigation. He sighed and put his hands over his face as he thought again about how close he came to losing a brother.

The barest whisper of sounds indicated the door opening and shoes crossing the room to stand in front of him. Aramis looked up slowly. 5" strappy red heels with red toenails encased in sheer black stockings held up by a red garter belt, red satin panties, a red corset with black lace around a skinny frame, shoulder length blonde hair and expertly applied make-up to blur a square jaw.

Although the physical form wasn't disguised, the voice was a dead giveaway. "Don't worry, dear, lots of men have second thoughts their first time."

For once, Aramis was very glad that Constance was not in his ear or watching with him. He had come into this knowing what to expect, but seeing a man in women's underclothing in front of him talking about his first time struck him as surreal.

"Actually, Gaston, I'm just here to talk." Aramis said.

Taking the chair opposite,Gaston sighed, "Pity. But it's your money and time. So, what do you want to talk about?"

"I'm hoping you can give me some information. Duke Lorraine said to talk to you just before he died."

For a moment, Gaston looked like he'd bitten into a lemon, then he recovered. "We weren't friends."

"I don't care if you were playing house. He said to talk to you before he died instead of my friend and your name comes up quite a bit in his papers. Why?"

"You're one of them." Gaston almost whispered in awe, his eyes widening. "One of the Inseparables."

Aramis sighed with exasperation and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yes. Now are you going to talk to me?"

"That's why they tried to kill your friend. Someone wants all of you out of the way. I don't know who is financing it, but what I hear is that if they can get rid of one of you,the rest will fall apart."

Aramis smiled. Obviously, they weren't very familiar with their team.

"They have someone working inside. Do you know who?"

Gaston suddenly seemed greatly interested in his nails.

"I doubt you'd have many clients if your jaw was wired shut, even if it was caused by an "Inseparable"," Aramis threatened.

Gaston looked at Aramis' face for a moment, then started talking again.

"There's a woman in the tech department somewhere, Adele something. She feels slighted by the company and personally for some reason. She started seeing Marcheaux. He's connected to the guy behind it all. She gives him information."

"Adele." Aramis said softly. He looked sharply at Gaston who was about to say something. Aramis followed up with a quick "Anybody else?"

"Not that I know."

"Who was hired for the hit on Athos?"

"I don't know her name. Some woman, that's it."

"Fine." Aramis stood up and handed Gaston a card with a phone number. "If you find out anything else or somebody threatens you because of this, call this number and ask for Aramis. If I find out you've told anybody or warned them, you won't be booking any more appointments in such nice accommodations. Understand?"

Gaston nodded and Aramis left quickly.

Back at his apartment, he unlocked the door, looking forward to a stiff drink or three and a hot shower before he filed his report. He took a step in and stopped, all thoughts of a drink gone. There was someone in his apartment. He caught the faint scent of roses and relaxed.

Turning on the light, he saw a beautiful blonde woman coming toward him.

"Anne, what are you doing here?"

Smiled as she put her arms around him. "Constance called and said you might want some company tonight. That your assignment might be a little rough for you."

"Different, yes. Rough, I don't know."

She removed her arms and stepped back, "Well, in that case - " she teased.

He laughed and pulled her back, kissing her deeply before saying, " I can always use your company. In fact, I was about to take a shower and need someone to wash my back."

The report could wait until morning, he thought as they headed for the bathroom.


	4. Porthos

Porthos walked into the transcription area to find all the cubicles empty. Since he had deliberately come at lunchtime, that was no surprise. He knew the one person he was looking for would be there, though.

"Hello, anyone here?" he called as he moved through the area.

A blond head popped up near the back. "Can I help you?"

"I hope so. I have a report to turn in this afternoon and I kinda didn't get it in soon enough to get typed up. Any chance you might be able to help me out?" he explained as he made his way to her, flashing her a grin and his dimples.

She smiled right back, her blue eyes twinkling, "And why can't you do it yourself?"

Porthos held up a hand with a laugh," My fingers aren't exactly keyboard friendly, especially on a time deadline."

"Okay, hand it over," she told him with a mock sigh.

Porthos handed her the recorded report he had made just an hour earlier, then pulled in a chair from another desk. While he waited, he thought about Aramis and the information he'd brought back from Gaston.

Finding out the informant inside the KM was an ex-girlfriend had not gone over well with the big bosses. Aramis had undergone intensive interrogations to be certain he had not revealed any information to Adele, but since she already had high clearance, it was a rather moot point. He had written an exhaustive report about everything that had been said or done between them, as well as all her interests and anything he could remember about her personal life.

The Inseparables had then spent two weeks coming up with and discarding various plans to get close to Adele and hopefully Marcheaux, and get more information on who wanted to kill them and why.

The creak of her chair brought Porthos out of his musings. "Is this real? You really think someone in the KM is passing information? And it's a woman?"

"Erm, yeah, afraid so." Porthos told her, scratching the back of his uncomfortably. His report didn't give any names.

"Oh, Lord, it;s not any of the girls in here, is it?" she asked, then waved her hands at him. "I know, you couldn't tell me anyway. Well, here is your report. Good luck."

Porthos took the recording and the paper and walked a few feet before turning back. "Um, since I interrupted your lunch, could I make it up to you by taking you to dinner?"

"Sure. I'm Elodie." she introduced herself. "The top page has my address and phone. You're Porthos. I know from the report."

Porthos knocked on Elodie's door at precisely the agreed on time. She answered a minute later, inviting him in. "Sorry, I was watching a program with Norman and lost track of time. I'll just be another minute."

"Norman?" Porthos queried, looking for signs of a child.

"The fuzzy ball on the chair." she called from the bedroom. "Would you mind bringing him in here?"

Porthos carefully put a hand under the fuzzy ball and picked it up, talking softly and gently stroking Norman. By the time he got to the bedroom, he was tickling Norman's belly.

Elodie smiled as she took the hedgehog and put him in his cage. "He likes you."

"Does that mean I passed the test?" Porthos asked.

Elodie just continued to smile, "Have I passed yours?"

On the drive to the restaurant, they found they shared quite a few common interests. Over appetizers, Porthos answered her questions about the investigation. By the time they got to dessert, Elodie had proposed a plan that would hopefully narrow down who the informant was and help lead them to her contact.

The next day, Porthos again came to her cubicle at lunch, this time with a drive full of files for them to review. He also brought sandwiches and chips. While they ate, they looked at the files and Elodie would give him what personal information she knew about each of the women. When her file appeared, she started laughing. Then she began telling outrageous facts about herself that soon had Porthos laughing so hard, he had tears running down his cheeks.

Soon, they had the list narrowed down to the ten most likely women, including Adele. The next step would be to investigate them on a one-to-one basis. Elodie had a suggestion for that as well - that she and Porthos act like a couple so they could be invited to more social functions to interact with the women.

Porthos agreed and said he'd run it by the Captain.

Back in the offices that the Inseparables all shared, it was quiet, for which Porthos was glad. He sat at his desk and tried to think of the best approach for what he wanted to say to Captain Treville. When the Captain arrived, Porthos just blurted out that he couldn't continue with the assignment. Captain Teville smiled and told him it had already been assigned to D'Artagnan. Confused at what had just happened, Porthos just said Thanks. He mentally retracted the thank you a moment later when Treville told him he had to let Elodie know. In person. That evening.

He had barely put his arm down from knocking on Elodie's door when she opened it.

"Oh, good. Here, hold Norman and keep him calm." she told him, handing him the hedgehog and walking to her bedroom.

He followed, noticing little piles of stuff scattered around the living area."What on earth - ?"

"It's cleaning day and Norman hates it. This next one is always the worst."

She was kneeling at the side of the bed. Norman was watching her and making little squeaky noises. Porthos stroked him without thinking about it, ttrying to soothe him.

"Would you like me to do that?" he offered.

Elodie looked at him and got a mischievous look on her face."You wouldn't fit under the bed. Can't wait to see you on it, though." and she crawled underneath as Porthos was trying to process what she said.

A running commentary started as she flung things out from where she was. Finally, she wiggled back out, holding a small stuffed doll. "Really, Norman? You've been whining about Dinsdale all week, but I never saw him under there when I looked."

She took a surprisingly guilty-looking Norman from Porthos and put him in his cage with the doll, then went back out to the living area. She started sorting through one pile while Porthos started to try to explain.

He sat in one of the chairs."Elodie, about the plan to find the woman passing the information -"

"Adele's the one doing it." she stated matter-of-factly. "You already knew that when you brought me the report, that's why there was no name of a possible suspect. The idea was to use me to get closer to her. If I hadn't come up with the plan, you would have found a way."

Porthos was staring at her, no idea of what to say.

"You're here now," she continued, "to tell me that D'Artagnan will take over, so there's no need for us to have to pretend to be seeing each other."

"How -?" Porthos wasn't sure what question to ask.

Elodie sat on the coffee table facing him. "Answer two questions and I'll tell you. First - would you have a problem seeing and working with me on a daily basis?"

" 'Course not. You had a bloody good plan and you're one of the smartest women I've met."

Elodie smiled. "Thanks. Would that opinion change if our circumstances changed?"

"Not sure what you mean?"

"I knew it was Adele because I transcribed Aramis' initial report." she informed him. "I talked to Constance about it and I'm the one that came up with the plan for you to come to me with your report. And to give me the chance to propose my plan."

"You used me" Porthos accused her. "Why?

"Because the only way I could move out of that damn cubicle was to have an active agent show I could be of use doing something besides typing a damn report. And it has to be the agent's choice, I can't ask them to do it."

"So you and Constance cooked this whole thing up? That's downright devious."

Elodie stood up. "No worse than what was planned for me, really." she pointed out.

Porthos stayed sitting as he questioned, "So, I take it from the earlier question, this new job I apparently helped you with is working directly with me and the others on the team?"

Elodie just nodded.

"Then I have one question for you - do you think you can maintain yourself professionally tomorrow?" he asked reaching for her hand.

Before she could answer, Porthos pulled her into his lap and kissed her.


	5. D'Artagnan

"How much longer do we have to stay?" D'Artagnan whispered to Constance as he kissed her temple.

"We can go, " she said. "Just let me say good-bye to Adele."

D'Artagnan watched as Constance played nice with Adele, amazed again at how well she did it. While he waited for her, he picked up a few loganberries and raspberries and considered what he could do to George Marcheaux with them.

Constance waited until they were hope to drop her bombshell.

"So, while I was helping Adele in the kitchen tonight, I sort of let slip that you weren't real happy with Athos and the others."

D'Artagnan stared at her. "You did what? Why? That wasn't what we discussed."

"No, but she asked about how your job was going and I saw an opportunity. I told her her the others still treated you like an errand boy and didn't trust you to go out on your own."

He thought for a moment, then kissed her. "You are a brilliant woman. That might work better than what we planned. But what about reports?"

"Not a problem." Constance waved a hand. "Elodie and I can whip those out easily."

Constance and Elodie created some fake reports that Adele could easily access stating that the other three members of the Inseparables were still uncertain about D'Artagnan being ready for solo missions and his tendencies to disobey orders or put others at risk. They also created false disciplinary actions for his personnel file about arguments with not only the other three men but also Captain Treville. And a rumor was started that he had finally been suspended without pay for another argument, though nobody was saying what it was about.

Just about a week after the suspension started, Marcheaux called D'Artagnan, saying Adele had told him D'Artagnan might be interested in a better job. D'Artagnan played at being a little hesitant, then agreed it couldn't hurt to at least meet and talk. Marcheaux gave him an address and time for that night, saying it was the only available time he had. After he hung up with Marcheaux, D'Artagnan called Constance on a secure line to let her know. She put him on speaker with Athos, Porthos Aramis and Treville to discuss options while she looked up the address.

The address was an upscale office building. She named off the different companies and one name stood out to Treville, a law firm that handled multi-million dollar corporations. They were about to start a court battle to defend one of their clients in a wrongful termination suit. But Treville couldn't see why that would be of importance to Marcheaux or his boss.

D'Artagnan met Marcheaux at the appointed time. Marcheaux let them into the building and they went up to the law firm's floor. Again, Marcheaux was able to get them in the locked door.

"Marcheaux, what are we doing here?" D'Artagnan finally asked. "I thought we were meeting to talk about a job offer."

"Call this your job interview." Marcheaux chuckled.

"Interview? I don't even know what the job is or if I want it."

Marcheaux stopped walking down the hall and looked at him. "Shut up and follow me for now. That's your job."

Following Marcheaux, D'Artagnan mentally added another reason to slam Marcheaux against a wall when this was over. Reaching the law library of the firm, the two men found a pretty young blonde woman at a table with stacks of books piled around her.

"Oh, you startled me," she said, looking up. "I didn't realize anyone else was in the building."

"We need you to give your bosses a message." Marcheaux told her. leaning on the table. "They're messing with my boss and he doesn't like that."

"Oh, I can certainly tell them. Let me just write down your boss' name so I can pass that on."

Marcheaux pulled a knife from his jacket. "I don't think you understand the kind of message I mean to leave. D'Artagnan, do you want to hold her or do the cutting?"

D'Artagnan told him, "Well, it's no pointed stick but I'll take the knife."

"You surprise me," Marcheaux said with a nasty grin as he handed the knife over, "Didn't think you had the stones for the ugly work."

D'Artagnan took the knife in his left hand and slammed his right fist into Marcheaux's nose. "Actually, I was tempted to leave you the knife and let Porthos have you, but we don't have time to wait for you to heal."

Elodie laughed at that as Porthos stepped out from the bookshelves.

"Somebody stuff some tissues up his nose and let's get him back to HQ. He's got a lot of questions to answer." Porthos growled.


	6. Treville

Treville re-read the reports he was about to hand deliver to his new boss.

Porthos and D'Artagnan had brought Marcheaux in while Constance and Athos had picked up Adele at her apartment. She was brought in without anybody seeing her. Marcheaux still had dried blood around his nostrils and a bloody tissue in his hand. He was threatening charges against D'Artagnan, but Elodie, Porthos and D'Artagnan all claimed he had hit one of the bookshelves as he was trying to run away from them.

Treville questioned Marcheaux himself as he wasn't certain the other men would be able to maintain their composure during questioning. He had trouble staying calm with Marcheaux's smug attitude about being held and his statements about friends getting him out as long as he stayed quiet. He did, however, have quite a bit to say about Adele, none of it polite or gentlemanly.

Constance and Elodie had been speaking with Adele in another room. She hadn't been very cooperative at first, claiming a loyalty to Marcheaux she was certain he was showing to her as well. However, as soon as she was shown the footage from his interview,she was all too willing to write down everything she knew.

That knowledge included the fact that it was her boss, Minister Rochefort, who was the one she had been passing information for. Originally, just notes between him and Marcheaux, so they weren't seen together, then later, she was asked to gather information on other employees, to use against them to get information on their work. Rochefort had quietly been arrested and was now being questioned.

Treville gathered his papers and left for his meeting. Entering the Ministry Building, he saw a trail of tea spills leading to one of the offices. They really did need to just let the Silly Walks have their own hot plate.

Upstairs, the secretary, notified the Minister as soon as he walked in the office. The secretary told him to go in, then wished him a good evening as she gathered her things, saying he was the last appointment for the day and she was leaving. In the Minister's office, he handed her the reports and had a seat while she scanned through them.

"So, Adele got pulled into this because she was bitter about the break-up with Aramis?" the Minister asked.

"Not bitter. She thought that he thought she was boring. So, when Rochefort said he needed someone he could trust with these messages, she reacted like a naive schoolgirl. Elodie says Adele is one of those women who just wants to be loved."

"And Rochefort certainly took advantage of her. No reason not to trust him." the Minister stated. "What does he have to say for himself?"

Treville sighed and ran a hand over his head. "He's maintaining the same story. He only knows his contact by a first name - Thomas. And no idea who he reports to or what happens to the information he gives him. Whoever is behind this knows how to keep themselves safe."

"And the attack on Athos?"

"They all claim to have no knowledge about it."

The Minister came around her desk and leaned against it. "We'll leave that for the moment. Two other things I wanted to discuss with you. I'd like you to accept an appointment to Commander. It means you'd be in charge of more departments. Would that be a problem?"

"Not that I can think of." Treville said. "Why should it be?"

"I'd be your direct boss." The Minister told him. "Will you have any problems taking orders from me?"

Treville stood so he could look into her eyes. "Why should here be any different than home?" he teased, kissing Lesley.


	7. Constance

Constance threw her headphones on the desk. "I am so tired of listening to these tapes." she said to the empty office.

Or what she thought was an empty office. As soon as she finished her statement, she felt a kiss on top of her head and a familiar male voice suggested, "Then have someone else listen to them."

She whirled in her chair and launched herself into D'Artagnan's arms. "You're back!" After a long embrace, they sat back down.

"So, why are you listening to these?" he asked. "There have to be qualified techs that could do it."

"There are, and they do. They go through all the raw data, listening for certain keywords and when those pop up, I get the sections they mark. I listen to see if any of it pertains to Athos, the KM, or the hits, but no luck on any of that so far."

Before they could continue, Treville called them to his office. When they got there, Aramis, Porthos and Athos were already waiting. Elodie was on video conference. Several minutes passed as Constance and the men caught up. They finally settled around the office to listen to Treville.

"We have a lead on a man with some possible intel. However, to get close enough to bring him in we're going to have to use a female agent."

At this point, everyone looked to Constance.

"Sir, I , um, what about Diana?" she stammered.

"She's on another mission." Treville told her. "And before you ask, Elodie would -stick out- shall we say."

Everybody laughed as Elodie stood to show her rounded belly.

"You can do this, love." D'Artagnan reassured her.

Several hours and dress changes later, Constance met Aramis a few blocks from the bar where their target stopped every evening. While they walked, Constance asked why him and not D'Artagnan.

"Could you pick a convincing fight with D'Artagnan?" Aramis asked in response.

Inside the bar, they sat a small table and went over their plan while they waited for the target. Aramis also gave her some tips on how to act and what to say after he had left to make sure she kept the target's attention. After that, they spent the time just catching up.

A short time later, the man came in and sat at his usual stool. About ten minutes later, Aramis and Constance started their fight. They made sure to let their voices sound natural as they rose enough to attract looks from the other patrons. Then the yelling that got the bartender over to ask them to leave. As they approached the target's stool, Aramis made a snide comment that had Constance turning and slapping him. Aramis grabbed her arm, making sure he didn't actually hurt her.

The man, however, jumped off his stool and removed Aramis' hand. "I think it might be best if you left on your own. Give you time to cool down."

Aramis pretended to storm out. The man insisted Constance sit and have a drink to calm herself. He introduced himself as Frank. Constance gave a cover name and thanked him for his help.

"I hope sitting with me won't get you into any trouble yourself at home." Constance said.

"Home?" he repeated."Oh, no worries on that front. Just my cat, Doodles waiting there. Although I do joke that I'm a woman's dream man.

"I work at the Whizzo Chocolate Company." he continued at her confused look.

Constance smiled. "Oh, yes. I haven't had those in years. My brothers loved the ram's bladder cup and crunchy frog."

"Still our biggest sellers." Frank looked at his watch. "I do need to be somewhere this evening, I'm afraid. Will you be okay?"

"Oh, yes. I feel like just saying thank you is so inadequate, though."

"Then allow me to enjoy your company at dinner tomorrow evening as a proper thank you." Frank said, naming a five star restaurant and a time.

Constance agreed and Frank left after paying their tab. A few minutes later, Constance also left the bar, meeting D'Artagnan outside.

The next morning, everyone again met in Treville's office. Constance immediately went to Aramis and looked at his cheek, apologizing. He smiled and kissed her hand. "From you, it's a love tap."

She told them she hadn't been able to get anything from Frank the night before, but that he had asked her to dinner that night.

When she told them where, Aramis gave a low whistle and D'Artagnan protested the idea. Elodie, however, was all excited.

"Oooh, girl's day. We need to go shopping for the right dress and do a spa day."

"There's no way any of that will be covered under expenses unless I'm allowed to join," Lesley said from the doorway. "And I'm treated as just one of the girls."

"No problem." Elodie answered for both of them.

"Alright then." Treville said. "We'll make sure to have at least one other agent there to make sure nothing happens, but I don't anticipate problems."

That evening, Constance arrived early at the restaurant and ducked into the ladies' room to compose herself. She was standing in front of the mirror when she heard another woman talking on her cell.

"I know it's been over six months, my love, but he's never alone.

"Getting rid of a Musketeer and making it look like an accident is one thing, getting rid of two is not only almost impossible, but it would be highly suspicious.

"Thomas, love, I promise it will be over soon. The person I'm meeting tonight is said to be the best. I have to go now. I'll call you later and tell you how the meeting went."

Constance pretended to be looking in her clutch as the woman came to the mirror and set her purse down while she washed her hands. As Constance moved her purse, she knocked the woman's over, spilling some of it. She immediately started picking things up, apologizing. When she handed the purse back, it had a small transmitter added to it.

Back in the foyer, Constance was wondering about the conversation, when she felt a hand on her back. She looked to her side and saw D'Artagnan in a suit. "What are you doing here?"

He smiled and told the maitre d' "Reservation under Charles D'Artagnan."

"Of course, sir. This way."

Constance blindly followed, now completely uncertain about everything. She allowed herself to be seated at the table across from her beloved.

"Would you tell me what is going on?" she demanded.

"Frank couldn't make it, so I said I would come instead." D'Artagnan smiled. "It seemed a shame to waste that beautiful dress and a chance to spend the evening with you."

Constance looked at him suspiciously, but let it go for the moment. They enjoyed a beautiful dinner and talked about everything but work. It had been quite awhile since either of them had been able to just relax and enjoy life.

While Constance listened to the waiter talking about the desserts, D'Artagnan slipped something in front of her. She caught the movement out of the corner of her eye and turned to see an open ring box with an engagement ring in it. She looked at D'Artagnan, tears already welling in her eyes.

"Will you marry me?" he asked simply.

Constance nodded, unable to speak at the moment. He took the ring and slipped it on her finger. "I have loved you from the moment I first saw you. I should have asked you long before this."

"All of this - the bar, Frank, everything was just to get me here? Everyone was in on it?"

"Yes. I hope you're not mad. I just thought a little adventure to make it more exciting. Give us a good tale for the grandkids."

Constance laughed." No, not mad at all. Did you even arrange for the woman in the bathroom?"

"What woman? No."

Constance immediately looked around the restaurant. "She's not here. We need to get back to the office. Call everyone in. I have a lead on who's after Athos."

D'Artagnan sighed. "Can't even get through a romantic evening. Amazing"


	8. New Year's

The morning after D'Artagnan proposed, all the members of the KM met in Commander Treville's office. Before they could actually get to the point for the meeting, Lesley and Elodie had to look at Constance's engagement ring. After enough oohs and aahs, Lesley got to business.

"D'Artagnan, Constance, I'm sorry you have to delay your vacation", the Minister apologised, "but if what Constance overheard was about any agent, not just Athos, we have a duty to follow up on it."

"Constance, are you certain about what you heard? There was a door between the two of you." Aramis asked before anyone else had the chance. "And can you describe the woman?"

With her prettiest smile in place, Constance reminded the handsome Musketeer, "! spend half my time listening to and transcribing your taped conversations that are done through clothing with all sorts of background noises. So, one woman on a cell phone in a quiet room is not much of an issue, door or not."

Treville, the other three men and both women all covered their mouths to hide their smiles. It wasn't wise to question Constance's skills.

"As for describing her," Constance continued, " I did a sketch of her last night and ran it through the system. It came back as Lady Catherine Smythe."

"British? Why would she be after Athos?" Elodie asked.

"She married British, but her maiden name in De Gaurroville."

"That's the connection." Athos stated. "I know her. But the Thomas she was talking to - that can't be possible."

"We'll find that out when we find her, " Treville reassured him. "Do we know where she's staying?"

D'Artagnan answered, "If she's in the area, it's not under either of those names."

Porthos was sitting with Elodie, rubbing her back. "Great, so we have an overheard conversation with a man none of us know that may be about killing Athos for some unknown reason. And it might be contracted out out to a pro hitter now. But the only lead we have is said one-sided conversation by British nobility with no way to find her. Did I miss anything?"

When he finished, Athos spoke up, "it's more than we had yesterday at this time."

"Oh, so I suppose you know where to find her? You apparently being old friends and all." Porthos sniped.

"Don't mind him," Elodie smiled. "He had a bad night. The baby kept kicking both of us."

Even Athos gave a small grin as Porthos' cheeks reddened before he said,"I have no idea where to find Catherine. However, if she has hired someone, then we come at this from that angle."

Treville spoke up. "I think I know what you're considering. Are you sure you want to do that?"

Aramis, Porthos and D'Artagnan exchanged puzzled looks. Aramis asked the commander, "What do you know that we don't?"

"That I know someone involved with that world."Athos told them. "Constance, you'll need to place personal ads in several major papers and certain online sites. No end date at this time."

While he had been talking, Athos had also been writing. He handed the paper to Constance, who read the ad. " In search of sheep in wolf's clothing. Call 555-2353 if you have information. Well, that's certainly cryptic."

"Not to the right person."

With that, Treville ended the meeting and everyone left to go back to their normal activities of saving the country. Time went by without any response to the ad. Life at the KM continued as Constance and D'Artagnan planned their wedding. Elodie had a healthy baby girl that she and Porthos named Marie-Cessette.

The first week of December, a call finally came. Athos met with the Commander and Minister to discuss it.

"It was a woman. She muffled her voice, so I can't swear it was Milady but who else would it have been. Anyway, she simply told me to be at the New Year's ball to talk, then hung up before I could say anything." Athos told them.

"The New Year's Ball. Smart. Lots of people in masks and tons of security. Guess I'll see about getting ten tickets to the ball." Lesley mused. "Tell the boys to start polishing up their manners."

New Year's Eve found the five men of the KM in tuxedos, their ladies on their arms in elegant evening gowns. It was the first time Elodie and Porthos had left the baby alone with someone else and they were being typical new parents about it. She was radiant in a sky blue dress.

As they entered the ballroom and presented their invitations, the men were handed black silk domino masks with elastic bands to slip on. The women were given either a gold or silver mask on a handle to hold up to their eyes.

"How on earth are we going to know who to look for?" D'Artagnan questioned, looking at all the people already there.

Athos reassured him, "She'll find me, don't worry. So mingle and enjoy, but keep an eye out."

The couples separated, D'Artagnan and Constance in in her lavender gown heading to the bar area, while Treville and Lesley, who was dressed in burgundy, went with Porthos and Elodie to the buffet dining area.

Aramis and Anne stepped onto the dance floor as a slow ballad started. He held her in his arms with her head resting on his chest. Her pale blonde hair and ice blue gown were a stark contrast to his black tuxedo and dark hair. The love between them was evident in the way the held each other.

Athos and Diana also took to the dance floor. Her gown was emerald green, just a shade brighter than his eyes. As he put his arms around her, she teased, "So, you bring me on a fancy date to meet another woman, huh? Trying to tell me something?"

He pressed his lips lightly to her temple," Only that right here with you is exactly where I want to be. And, trust me, if I could avoid seeing Anne ever again, I would."

"Sounds like quite a story."

"One for another time." he put her off."For now, let's just enjoy the evening."

And for the next few hours, all of them did just that, mingling with people from all over, taking mental notes notes on things that might be of importance to share with the others later. The food was five star, the bar was open and the music was exceptional.

A little after eleven, Athos and Diana were again on the dance floor when there was a tap on Diana's shoulder. She turned to see a woman in a midnight blue gown with long dark hair and green cat eyes. "May I cut in?"

Diana glanced at Athos, who gave a brief nod. She gave his hand a quick squeeze and left the floor to go in search of one of the other couples.

Meanwhile, Milady moved easily to take Diana's place in Athos' arms. He put a couple inches between them as they started to move to the music.

"This brings back memories,"She practically purred. "But you didn't have to bring all the bodyguards just to see me."

"Don't flatter yourself, Anne." Athos said coldly. "Haven't you heard? There's a contract out on me."

Anne stopped and stared at him. "A contract? Who would do such a thing?"

The pair left the dance floor and found a quiet table. Sitting there, Athos looked at her without saying a word. Milady held his gaze the entire time. He finally nodded.

"Even if I had been offered, I would never accept that contract." Milady told him, sounding hurt.

"At one time you would have," Athos reminded her. "But there's more to it than just taking me out. The persons behind this might come for you as well."

"What?"

"Apparently, Catherine is behind this contract. I don't know if she knows about you. So far, no one has tried anything, but I've also been very careful. You haven't heard anything?"

"Nothing on the grapevine. Why is Catherine suddenly coming after you? It's been years." Milady noted.

"I'm not sure, but she was overheard talking to a man named Thomas. We don't know her whereabouts, so we can't ask. Plus she married into British nobility."

"Thomas?"Milady barely whispered the name. "That can't be possible."

Putting her hand on Athos', she told him,"I'll see what I can find out. I won't guarantee what or when, but I'll do my best."

"Thank you."

"Athos, that woman - " Milady started.

"Diana," he said her name softly.

The way he said her name and the way his eyes changed answered the question Milady had been about to ask. Instead, she told him, "I hope Diana appreciates what I didn't."

"It was just circumstances and timing, Anne. And they were all bad. But I do wish you the best."

They stood and Athos kissed her hand before she left. He left the table and found all the others standing together on the other side of the dance floor where they could watch what was happening. As he joined them, Diana handed him a short glass with two finger of whiskey. He took a swallow before kissing her.

"Thanks. You would have been a great cocktail waitress," he teased, referring to the first time they'd met.

"She didn't know anything, but said she would check into it and let me know what she finds out." he told the others.

Waiters started coming around with trays loaded with flutes of champagne. They spent the last few minutes of the year reflecting on all the changes that had happened to them.

"5..4..3..2..1 HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

The clock chimed, fireworks went off outside and balloons and confetti fell from the ceiling in the ballroom.

All the KM and their ladies happily kissed in the new year.

As Diana and Athos separated, she asked him, "Happy?"

D'Artagnan, more than a little drunk, looped his arm around Athos' neck, ignoring the scowl and slurred,"Wrong dwarf, Diana. He's Grumpy."

"And you're obviously Dopey." Treville laughed, surprising everyone.


	9. Milady

Milady looked at the file Athos forwarded to her two days ago. Lady Catherine Smythe, nee de Garrouville, widow of Lord Smythe, British nobleman. She had to laugh at Catherine doing the same thing she had - going to anothercountry and finding a rich husband that had then proceeded to die. Not that that humorless cow would appreciate the irony.

The search under both her names had come back with no arrests, no known underworld associates, no contact in any form with anybody that had the faintest whiff of illegal activity. And no known location in Paris where she was staying, The cell phone listed for her hadn't been used in months. She was off the radar and didn't want to be found.

All the KM did know was that Catherine wanted Athos dead and the KM destroyed. As of yet, she didn't know Milady was still alive and who knew what would happen when she did find out. Milady smiled at the thought of telling Catherine to her face. The two women never had liked each other.

First thing was to find her though - and stop any hit on Athos. While he and the KM went through legal channels, she had more unethical lines she could follow. Changing into jeans and a sweater with her hair in a low pony, she was on her way to the lower side of town and the first of those lines.

She entered the low-end bar and walked straight to the door at the back with the NO ADMITTANCE sign. Two burly men stood up from the table next to door.

"Tell Saracen that Milady is here to see him," she ordered without hesitation.

The door opened just enough to let her in and closed as soon as she was clear. Another burly guy blocked her way. "Gotta check you for weapons."

"Don't even try," she told him him icily.

"Leave her be, Tony. If she meant any harm, we'd both be dead already." Saracen laughed from behind his desk.

On the wall off to the side behind the desk was a framed map on some sort of ragged round parchment. The plaque on the frame read, "My Friend Dan".

"Was that a gift from him?" Milady asked as she sat down.

"No, that's Dan. I found out he had a treasure map tattooed on his head and wasn't willing to share, so I took full control. I keep it there as a reminder to others that if I'm willing to do that to a friend, they can imagine what I'd do to an enemy."

"Nice strategy. Too bad it's a fake."

"So, why are you here? Interested in coming back to work for me?" he quickly changed the subject. "I could use someone with your talent."

"You couldn't afford me. No, I'm looking for information. There was a botched hit on one of the KM several months ago. I heard a rumor my name may have been attached to it. Do you know anything?"

"It was just that - a rumor. It was just some newcomer trying to make their bones. There was talk of a woman trying to contact some of the folks looking for training, but nobody took her up on it. Thought it was a set up."

Milady leaned forward. "Do you have information on her? Or who she might have contacted?"

"Why the interest?"

"Word is she has a contract out on one of my parties and I want to have a little talk with her. You wouldn't be doing business on my territory, would you, Saracen?"

He gave a nervous chuckle. "If I did, it would be purely accidental and cancelled immediately. Just to be sure, though, who would be the party in question?"

"Athos of the KM."

"Oh, definitely not. I don't handle contracts against any government or political figures. Those get investigated much too thoroughly. As for names, I can't help you there. Ethical standards, you know."

"Of course," Milady nodded in understanding. At the door, she told him, "Next time I see Dan, I'll give him your best."

She smiled at the glass breaking and indistinct yells she heard as she walked away. That lead didn't pan out so tomorrow she would try the second one. One that had a completely different set of ethical standards.


	10. The Cardinal

Milady stepped into the outer office, her four-inch heels sinking into the plush pile. At the receptionist's desk, she didn't wait for the woman, but instead told her directly, "Let His Eminence know Milady de Winter wants to speak with him."

"He has a rather busy - " the receptionist started the usual line.

She was stopped by an icy look. "Just let him know I am here. I'm sure he'll find a few minutes for me."

The receptionist tapped a few numbers in her console, spoke a few words quietly into her headset, then said, "Someone will be right out."

A few minutes later, another beautiful young woman came out and lead her to an office almost as large as the outer one she had just left. The outer wall was completely tinted glass looking over the high-end business district of Paris. Centered to the wall was a large mahogany desk with just the bare essentials on it. The other walls were covered with full bookshelves and works of art. To the left of the door was a large conversation area with sofa, chairs, coffee tables and even an entertainment center.

Milady was more interested in the right side, however. An older man with salt and pepper hair, moustache and goatee was standing at a tabletop model of a country estate, moving people, animals and landscape around. He looked up as she approached.

"Ah, Milady, lovely to see you again."

"When did you start playing with dolls?"

"Not dolls. This is my new country estate. There's something missing, though, I just can't put my finger on it."

Milady examined the model for a minute, then moved some of the landscaping, suggesting, "What if you put a shrubbery here, then one next to it, but a little bit higher?"

"Yes, that's exactly what it needs. I can always count on you. Now, what brings you back to Paris and my office?"

The pair walked over to the conversation area and Milady sat in a butter soft leather chair. "I have a vested interest in a contract I've heard about. I was hoping you might be able to help me."

"You know I don't give information about clients or contracts. I'm like a confessional."

"That's why you're The Cardinal, I know. Among other reasons. But this could affect me, as well. Plus, if it's successful, the investigation could lead back to you. And reveal many of your clients."

The smile didn't reach his pale blue eyes. "I haven't gotten this far by worrying about investigations. Have you checked on the terrible two, Sonia and Franchesco?"

"They're in Russia. I've checked the ones I could. You have a further - reach - shall we say, as to what is happening and who is doing it."

The Cardinal steepled his fingers in front of his mouth for a moment.

"Perhaps we can come to a mutually beneficial agreement,'" he proposed finally.

"I would need complete information, not just a single name", Milady negotiated.

"Of course. You agree, then?"

With a clenched jaw, Milady agreed and gave him Athos' name. The Cardinal retrieved his tablet and opened a file, doing a quick search, then writing some information on a sheet of paper. Handing it to Milady, he told her, "I have missed you. I look forward to working together again in the future."

"One job only." Milady reminded him, taking the paper. "And if I find out you've let them know, our agreement is off."

Milady left his office without waiting for his reaction or response. She was out of the building and at a cafe almost a mile away before she made the phone call.

"Athos, I have the information. Where can we meet?"


	11. Feron

Athos met Milady at a mutually agreed upon bar that evening. He was dressed casually, but had added an ear wig and Constance's special contacts.* Milady was in a dark ruby silk dress with a crushed velvet wrap. They took a table that wouldn't attract attention.

"You look nice," Athos complimented her. "You didn't say it would be formal."

"I'm going to the theatre after this." she told him "Spamalot."

"You said you have some information."

" One of my - associates - gave me the name and address of a gentleman that had inquired about contracts on you and the others. He apparently didn't like the price quoted, as he didn't use the services."

"And how does your associate have the man's information if they didn't do business?"

"I've never inquired into his business and he's always allowed me latitude in handling our transactions." she hedged. "Here is the information he gave me."

She slid an index card over to Athos. He picked it up and looked at the block printing on it. With a small, wry grin, he sighed, "Your handwriting, of course. And only our fingerprints on this card. You kept the original in case you needed leverage for some reason at a later date."

Her laugh was bitter. "That was the plan, but the SOB was a step ahead. The paper had some special coating or something that destroyed the ink within the hour of my getting it."

"Good thing you transferred it immediately then." was the sardonic response. "Hope you kept the paper, maybe you can take it back and renegotiate whatever deal you made to get the information."

Milady's smile would've scared a lesser man. "Believe me, I intend to. Now, I really must be on my way. Keep me informed, though."

"Of course. And thank you."

* * *

Mid-afternoon of the next day, Athos and Treville stood in the parlor of a large mansion on the outskirts of Paris. Both men were again wearing earwigs and contacts to transmit back to headquarters. The owner entered a few minutes, carefully walking toward them with the aid of two canes.

"Gentlemen, I am Phillipe Feron. Please have a seat and we can talk."

The three men sat as the butler brought in coffee. As he served, Treville explained why they were there.

"Governor, I apologize for not making an appointment beforehand, but something has just come to our attention, and we didn't want to take the chance of any information getting out."

Hearing the carefully phrased wording, Athos could appreciate having Treville with him on this visit. Not even Aramis could have made an ambush at home sound so polite. He sat back to learn something new from his commander while the other two men continued to talk.

"I'm glad to help you any way I can." Feron smiled over the rim of his cup, "What sort of information?"

"Your name came up in connection with an investigation into a contract taken out on Captain Athos. We, of course, believe it to be false, but you understand we have to follow up on it." Treville explained, using every bit of political charm he had learned over the years.

Both of the KM men were watching Feron as Treville told him the reason for the visit. The governor looked at them in confusion, but the agent's excellent training detected the tightening of Feron's fingers on his cup and a quick flash of something in his eyes.

Feron gave a short laugh. "A contract? On Captain Athos? How ridiculous, I've never met you before today. Why would I possibly want you dead?"

"Exactly," Treville agreed, while Athos nodded. "Our thoughts as well. But, as I said, we needed to follow up. Sorry to have bothered you."

As the men opened the parlor door to leave, the governor stopped them. As they turned back, Athos caught a glimpse of a blonde woman running up the stairs.

Feron asked them, "You said at the start that you didn't want to alert anyone you were coming here. What did you mean by that?"

"We weren't sure if the people that did this might have your phones tapped." Athos bluffed. "We wanted to make sure you weren't threatened or worse."

"Well, I certainly appreciate your looking out for my welfare." Feron thanked them without sounding sincere.

Once Treville and Athos were gone, the woman entered the parlor and sat down opposite Feron. Her hair was now brunette and she kept running her hands through it, shaking it out as her blue eyes stared at Feron.

He spoke before she could, "Did Athos see you?"

"If he did, he saw a blonde woman from behind." Diana shrugged. "I hate that wig. More importantly, how did they manage to link anything to you? I thought that phone was untraceable?"

"I'll look into that. You're sure he didn't recognize you?"

"Relax," she reassured him. "I know what I'm doing."

* * *

As they drove back to Headquarters, Treville and Athos discussed what they had both noticed during their short visit. They agreed on a lot of details, mainly that Feron was involved in the contract in some way.

Athos then told him, "There was a woman there I don't think we were supposed to know about. And before you ask, no, I didn't see her face. But I'm fairly certain I know who it was and I plan on having a talk with her. Very soon."


	12. Great Falls

Aramis stood at the baggage claim of the small "International" Airport and looked around in astonishment. He was feeling more culture shock in this place than he had in the larger cities where he'd had layovers. Nearly everybody here was wearing blue jeans, regardless of what else they wore. One young couple, however, really astounded him. The male wore sweatpants and a hoodie, while the woman was wearing black pajama bottoms with some sort of cartoon character all over them. She topped this with a too small t-shirt showing her extreme muffin top, covered by an open lime green jacket. On her feet were well-worn fuzzy open back slippers.

Avoiding them, he grabbed his one bag and escaped the crowd surrounding the baggage claim. He looked around as he'd been told someone would meet him there to drive him into the city.

"It's all quite different from Paris, isn't it?" a familiar female voice asked just behind him.

Aramis turned quickly in surprise. "Anne! What are you doing here?"

"Stalking you, of course." she laughed. "Now, do you want a ride or would you rather try to navigate on your own?'

Shaking his head, knowing she would give him a real answer in time, Aramis followed her outside. The brightness of the sky astounded him, even though he had seen it from the plane as they came in for a landing. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the blue was the sort you read about it in novels. He took a breath and the air was so clean and pure, it shocked his lungs for a second. Even though there was still just the hint of crispness to it, it was amazingly nice out for the end of March.

As they entered the city, Aramis commented again, "So, how did you end up being my guide here?"

A dimple appeared in her cheek as Anne smiled at the seemingly innocent question. "I found out you were going to be on a mission here, and thought it might be a nice way to spend some time away myself. Someplace where nobody knows who I am and I don't have to worry about being seen with the proper people of the proper status."

Aramis took her hand and kissed it. "You certainly make this a more enjoyable trip now. But are you certain?"

Luckily, they had to stop at a light. She took advantage of it to stroke his cheek. "I would declare my love for you from the top of the Eiffel Tower. I don't care about status or any of that."

"I feel the same. But your parents do not. Where are we going? I need to check in at the hotel."

"That's taken care of. And the museum is closed today, so I thought a bit of sight-seeing, a good dinner, then a night of relaxation and sleep before starting tomorrow. And I had a thought on how we could work together on this. But we'll discuss that later."

For the rest of the ride, Anne told him little facts about Great Falls. It was once one of the Tree Cities of the USA, it had surpassed Chicago at one time as the windiest city, and was still one of the top three on most lists. Lewis and Clark had pretty much given the town its name because of what they had seen when they came that way on their expedition. She even pulled over to show him one of the falls, though it was now dammed up by man to use for energy at one time.

They finally arrived at Giant Springs State Park and got out to walk down to the Missouri River. They strolled hand in hand, something they could never do back home. Watching the Missouri as it roiled and rumbled past, Aramis could only shake his head. "Reminds me of what goes on inside Athos all too often."

The two of them walked out onto the small concrete bridge separating the wild river from another, calmer body of water. This was the spring the park got it's name from, forming a large still pool that then flowed for a short way to join the Missouri. "This is the Roe River."Anne continued in her tour guide voice. "It is one of the shortest rivers in the world at a mere 120 feet. At one time it was considered to be the shortest."

Aramis was standing behind her, holding her around the waist against him. He kissed her ear and asked quietly, "Is there anything you don't know?"

She turned into his embrace, putting her arms around his neck and threading her fingers into his hair. "Maybe a few things." she whispered, pulling his head down to kiss him.

The kiss lasted several minutes, as it had been some time since they had been able to see each other privately. When they finally broke apart, He rested his forehead on hers for a few more moments.

"I love you." he said softly. "Since that first moment I met you."

"And I love you. Though it took me a bit longer to believe you, with your reputation." she smiled, remembering.

"Yes, well, this may not be the Eiffel Tower, but -

I LOVE THIS WOMAN!" he suddenly shouted into the quiet.

Anne turned beet red and laughed, before doing the same. "I LOVE THIS MAN!"

Aramis pulled her into a hug and whirled around for a moment as they both laughed, enjoying the freedom of saying their feelings aloud, even if was half a world away from home.

-To Be Continued-


	13. Great Falls pt 2

Following their shouted declarations of love at Giant Springs, Aramis and Anne had one of their best steak dinners ever, then a relaxed night in the hotel suite Anne had booked for them. He had a slight moment of panic when he woke alone in the bed. "Anne?!"  
She came in from the other room, "I'm right here." she laughed, laying down next to him.  
He ran a hand over her slim form. "How do I know I'm still not dreaming?"  
She leaned forward, kissing him, then softly nipped his lip. "How's that?"  
He rolled her under him and kissed her harder. "You're real. But I think I need to make sure a little further."  
A few hours later, the two of them stepped out of the hotel. As they walked to the car, Aramis commented, "All this fresh air and trees, I feel like i could be a lumberjack."  
"Well, you do have the qualifications. You sleep all night."  
"Or at least most of it." Aramis teased, watching Anne's cheeks pinken.  
"You work all day." she managed to continue.  
"And I do like buttered scones for tea."  
"Then there's - "  
"That was one time and we will not discuss it here."  
They drove in silence to the C. M. Russell Museum, the radio the only sound in the car. In the parking lot, Anne stopped him before he could get out. "I was only teasing and you know it. Are you really going to be childish about it?"  
He took her hand and kissed it, then smiled as he shook his head. "No. I just don't want the others to know."  
This time, it was Anne that shook her head at the silliness of men as they entered the museum and asked to speak to the director. He came out a few minutes later with another man. The 2nd man introduced himself as Robert Donaldson, the man in charge of the artwork on loan from the Capitol Building.  
Aramis explained to them why he was there and Donaldson almost went into a panic attack.  
They managed to calm him down and the four of them examined the security and alarm systems. A special system had been put in place at Donaldson's request that nobody else in the museum knew about. Reminding him of this helped calm and reassure him further. A black-tie special viewing was being held that evening for the major contributors to the museum as well as certain politicians of the state. Anne and Aramis were invited to attend as well.  
While they waited until it was time to get ready, the two of them decided to go souvenir shopping. Or rather, Anne did.  
While she looked at the jewelry, she had Aramis look at the different foods and find things the men might like. There was quite a selection of wild game sausages and jerkies as well as candies and other sweets. She found unique necklaces, bracelets and earrings for the women. Then she spotted a couple very special objects that gave her an idea. She paid for those separately and asked the woman a couple questions. Everything else was rung up together and they arranged to have it all shipped to her home to make it easier.  
That evening, back at the museum, they met countless people who once they heard Anne's title, didn't question any further about them being there. The politicians left them alone since they couldn't contribute or vote, which was nice. A few others did try to get Anne to listen or come to meetings about their causes, but she was an old hand at deflecting. The museum director mingled throughout the crowd, Mr. Donaldson tried to stay close to his display, but couldn't without driving others away, which defeated the whole purpose. Aramis wandered, trying to see if anybody else looked "non-Montanan" as Anne had put it.  
A little over 2 hours into the event, as Aramis was thinking nothing would happen, an alarm went off in another section of the museum. Everybody turned to look, but gates came down, blocking them from leaving. Aramis was in the room with the postcard sized artwork, but the alarm never sounded on its display case and when he looked, it was still in its place. The gates lifted after about half an hour, but everyone was asked to leave early due to the incident. Donaldson sighed, said he was happy it was over and he was going to his hotel to relax his frayed nerves.  
Aramis and Anne stayed behind to talk to the director, and while waiting, Aramis looked at the intended target again. "Anne, does this look like it's been moved slightly? And the colors are a little off from earlier?"  
She looked at it. "I'm not sure. But we never heard the alarm. Nobody could have gotten to it."  
The director came in. "What a miserable disaster. Some drunk bumped one of the cases. And nobody even knew who he was."  
"Somebody knew. I think he was paid to bump that case and distract us while the real robbery was happening right here. We need to open this and look closer at the painting."  
Shocked into silence, the director turned off the alarms and opened the case. Pulling on a pair of gloves he had in his pocket, he took out the small piece of art and looked at it, then threw it on the ground.  
Aramis picked it up, feeling the heavy paper. As he'd thought, the colors were a little off and when he turned it over, it was an actual postcard for sending in the mail. "How the hell - ? We need to see the security footage."  
"Of course." the director agreed instantly and led them to the security room.  
The three of them watched the footage. When everyone was distracted by the alarm, a man lifted the case just enough to take the original art and replace it with the postcard. It was obvious he was wearing a latex glove and managed to keep his face off the cameras.  
"How could he have done that?" the director yelled. The alarm was obviously turned off, but I'm the only one who had the control. And I would never - " he said, wide-eyed, as he realized the implications of his statement.  
"Relax, I have a pretty good idea who the person behind it all is. Could you send me all this footage though? As well as a copy of the guest list." Aramis asked, writing down a safe download site. "I'll talk to the police and hopefully they'll be able to get "The Last of the 5000" back to you within a few days."

The next morning, Anne and Aramis were with the local police and the FBI when they knocked on Donaldson's hotel door. He answered, looking surprised to see all these people. "I thought you were the porter, coming to get my luggage. Why is the FBI here?"  
"Art theft." was the terse answer from the agent.  
Blanching, Donaldson didn't try to deny it. "How did you know it was me? I wasn't even by it."  
"Exactly. And you barely glanced at it after the gates came up, but you had been so worried about it's safety earlier that day. You had a second controller and turned off the system. The system nobody else knew about. You were hoping the museum would get blamed when the discovery was made and they might have if you had been around to make a fuss or if you had checked and done it last night, but you were too calm."  
"Nobody appreciates the actual art of what he did here. People walk by it all the time at the Capitol and see it, then forget it about it five minutes later as they look at some stupid picture on their phone. I would have been able to appreciate it."  
Aramis walked to Donaldson as he was being cuffed and reached into the inside pocket of his jacket, pulling out a small case. Inside was the protected original artwork. He handed it to an officer, asking that he let the museum director know it had been recovered and how to proceed from there.  
As he and Anne left, she asked if he was up for one more adventure that day. With a wary look, he told her sure. After a brief stop at a local sub shop for sandwiches and drinks, she drove them out to Ryan Dam. They parked and made their way across the wooden bridge to a small island below the falls. There was a picnic area to one side and lots of green grass and trees. Anne led Aramis to a pair of boulders looking out over the Missouri River, looked at him and said, "I want to marry you, here and now."  
"Anne, I would love to marry you, but you know -"  
"Shhh, in our hearts, and before God, we will be." She pulled out the two rings she had bought the day before, two gold bands with a Yogo sapphire in each. Taking one, she said, "I, Princess Anne of Monte Spanaric, take thee, Rene d'Herblay, as my husband, to love and cherish, from this day forward." She slid the ring onto his little finger on his left hand.  
Handing the other ring to him, he smiled, and repeated the vow, "I Rene d'Herblay, take the, Princess Anne of Monte Spanaric, as my wife, to love and cherish, from this day forward." and slid her ring on the little finger of her left hand. They kissed for quite a while before she broke apart and she said, "Let's go have our wedding feast, husband."


End file.
